Resilient wheel.



S. CRAIG.

RESILIENT WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. s. 1913.

1,098,782. Patented June 2, 1914.

SANDERS CRAIG, O13 EAGLE STATI /N, KENTUCKY.

EESILIENT WHEEL.

recesses.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2, 191 1.

Application filed. December 6, 1913. Serial No. 805,099.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SANonns CRAIG, citizen ofthe United States, residing at Eagle Station, in the county of Carrolland State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Resilient Wheels, of which the following is a specification,reference being bad to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to resilient wheels and has for its primaryobject to provide a yieldable support or mounting for the wheel tirewhich is capable of easy and quick ap plication to the rim or felly ofthe wheel.

My invention has for another of its ob jects to provide a resilientvehicle wheel having a maximum of resiliency or shock absorbing powerwhich admits of the use of a solid rubber tire, whereby the extraexpense incident to frequent punctures sus tained by pneumatic tires, iseliminated.

In its more specific aspect, the invention includes an annular rim orsent for the tire adapted to lie eXteriorly of and in spaced relation tothe wheel felly, bracket members secured at intervals to the wheelfelly, and cushioning means carried by the annular metal rim andcooperating with said bracket members to yieldingly maintain said rim inspaced relation to the folly, said rim and wheel tire being capable ofmovement upon the brackets out of concentric relation to the wheelfelly.

My invention has for another object to produce a device of the abovecharacter l which is simple in its construction, highly efficient,reliable and durable in practical use and may be produced at smallmanufacturing cost.

With the above and other objects in view as will become apparent as thedescription proceeds, the invention conslsts in certain constructions,combinations and arrangements of the parts that I shall hereinafterfully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to thefollowing de scription and accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is aside elevation of a vehicle wheel showing the preferred embodiment of myinvention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 ofFig. 1; Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4: isa section taken on the line 4=-4= of Fig. 2.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 5 designates the vehicle wheelhaving the usual felly (3 connected by the spokes 7 to the hub 8, To thewheel telly 6 between adjacentspokes, the bracket members 9 are secured.Each of these bracket members consists of a plate provided withoppositely extending aperturod cars 10 to receive fastoning bolts 11which are disposed through openings in the wheel felly and have nuts 12threaded upon their inner ends. Arms 13 are formed upon the body plateof the bracket to engage upon opposite sides of the wheel felly, andcars 14 and 15 are integrally formed with said arms at their outer andinner ends respectively. The outer ears 1 1 are provided with openings16 which are elongated circumferentially of the wheel while the innercars 15 are provided with circular openings 17.

An annular metal rim or seat member 18 of concave convex form in crosssection is adapted for arrangement over the wheel felly and is normallydisposed in spaced concentric relation thereto. 1 have illus trated inthe accompanying drawing a solid rubber tire 19 secured upon this rim,though it will be understood that by slightly changing the form of therim, a pneumatic tire of the ordinary construction may be employed.'lransversely disposed cars 20 are integrally formed upon thelongitudinal edges of the rim 18 at intervals. These ears are disposedin line radially of the wheel with the cars 14 and 15 formed upon thebracket men1- bcrs 9. To each of the cars 20, the outer end of a rod 21is pivotally or oscillatably connected. These rods extend looselythrough the openings 16 and 17 in the bracket ears and are disposedrespectively upon opposite sides of the wheel telly. Heavy coil springs22 are arranged upon said rods between the ears 14: on the bracket andthe ears 20 on the rim 18. Weaker springs 23 are also arranged upon saidrods and have their outer ends secured to the cars 14, the inner ends ofsaid latter springs bearing against the collars 2-1 which are securedupon the rods 21. It will thus be understood that the outer springsacting by expansive force and the inner springs by contractile force,yieldingly maintain the metal rim 18 and the tire thereon normally inconcentric relation to the wheel felly. Upon the inner ends of the rods21, nuts 25 are secured by means of suitable keys 26.

From the above description, the construction of my invention will befully understood. Its operation in practice is substantially as follows:The device being applied to the telly of the wheel as shown in Fig. 1,the pressure of the load in the move ment of the wheel is sustained bythe lower portion of the tire and the cushioning springs 22 at thebottom of the wheel are compressed while the inner springs 23 eX- pand.Upon the upper side of the wheel,

the reverse of this action takes place. By the provision or" theelongated slots 16 in the bracket ears 1d, the rods 21 at opposite sidesof the wheel are capable of movement with respect to the brackets out oftheir normal radial positions. In this manner, it will be seen that thesprings 22 and 23 will completely absorb all shocks and jars in thetravel of the vehicle over rough roads. The strength of the springs isof course deter mined in accordance with the carrying capacity of thevehicle and the maximum load to be transported thereby.

From the above description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, the operation and several advantages of the invention will befully and clearly understood. The device may be readily applied to theordinary vehicle wheel without requiring a y material alterations in itsconstruction, and owing to its extreme simplicity it will be appreciatedthat the invention is highly durable as well as efficient in practicaluse.

It will of course be obvious that the device is susceptible of variousmodifications in the form, proportion and arrangement of the structuralparts thereof in order to render the same applicable to various forms ofwheels, and I therefore reserve the privilege of resorting to all suchlegitimate modifications as may be fairly embodied within the spirit andscope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. The combination with the wheel proper, of spaced bracket memberssecured to the wheel telly and having spaced ears arranged in pairs uponopposite sides of the telly, an annular metal rim arranged over thewheel telly, a tire arranged thereon, said rim being provided atintervals upon its longitudinal edges with the transversely projectingears, rods pivotally secured at their outer ends to said ears andextending loosely through the respective pairs of bracket ears,cushioning springs arranged between the ears on the rim and thebrackets, a collar secured upon each of the rods between the bracketears, and additional springs arranged on said rods between said collarsand one of the bracket ears.

2. The combination with the wheel proper, of a plurality of bracketmembers secured to the wheel telly and provided with inner and outerspaced ears arranged in pairs upon opposite sides of the telly, anannular metal rim arranged over the wheel felly, a tire secured uponsaid rim, rods pivotally secured at their outer ends to the longitudinaledges of the rim and extending loosely through the respective pairs ofbracket ears, heavy cushioning springs arranged upon the rods betweenthe outer bracket ears and the annular rim, collars secured upon saidrods, and additional comparatively light springs arranged upon the rodsand secured at one of their ends to the outer bracket ears and hearingat their other ends against said collars.

3. The combination with the wheel proper, or" a plurality of bracketmembers secured to the wheel telly and having spaced inner and outerears arranged in pairs upon opposite sides of the telly, said inner earsbeing provided with circular openings, said outer ears having openingselongated circumferentially of the wheel, an annular metal im disposedover the wheel telly, a tire arranged thereon, said rim being providedat intervals upon its longitudinal edges with transversely projectingears, rods pivotally secured at their outer ends to said latter ears andloosely disposed through the openings in the respective pairs of bracketears, heavy cushioning springs arranged upon said rods between the earson the rim and the outer bracket ears, collars secured upon the rods,and comparatively light springs arranged upon the rods between the outerbracket ears and said collars.

In testimony whereof I hereunto atfix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

SANDERS CRAIG.

E. L. WHITE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

